Be Careful in the Dark

Three months of hell. Even with the learning potion to speed things along it was one long nightmare. She must have slept since the human body cannot go without sleep for three months. But rest was fragmented, and snatched at any given moment. The few nights she was allowed to sleep undisturbed as a reward were bliss. Alex had her up before the dawn to run, beaten within an inch of her life, and it was only the understanding that his training was all that stood between her and death that made her stay. God only knows what her hastily scribbled letters to her parents sounded like.

Weapons training went by in a blur. In addition to guns, knives, and the usual, she learned a deadly use for almost every item commonly found in a home. The computer she thought she had been good with became an entirely new instrument under his tutelage.

…Run faster! The moment your body is tired, you must push it harder…

…you need to be able to take this gun apart and put it back together in the dark…

…apply pressure HERE…no no….do it again!...

And those were not even the hard lessons. Seduction was. Torture was. What she had endured at Draco's hands had been nothing compared to this. He broke her again and again and re-forged her until she was a weapon so sharp she thought she might cut herself. Some memories had been stored in a pensieve, others had been placed under magical protection. Still, surely Alex knew something was off about her. It didn’t matter…only the training and, in the end, surviving.

…If you have the time, breaking someone psychologically will give you the most accurate information. If you’re in a rush though, go for fast and intense pain rather than anything fancy or drawn out. The most useful tools for torturing someone can be found in the average kitchen…

…I can’t do this!…

...Everybody breaks. Start lying early and often…

…you want me to do what with cucumbers?..

…You think that is seductive, what you are doing right now? You look like you have a facial tick. You must believe what you are doing or they won’t either…

Studying the file had been illuminating as well. Together they created a profile on how to get near Lucius Malfoy. Close enough to kill. She'd had to adjust it a bit given that he was not, in fact, a drug lord as Alex seemed to think. But it was a lesson in the human mind that she would never forget.

They cultivated her appearance down to the last fingernail. To capture Lucius Malfoy's attention she would have to out-pureblood a pureblood. Draco had taught her that those who live in the Dark are attracted to the Light as a moth is to a flame. Inevitably, they destroyed the often fragile innocence of the pure and good and had to begin again. But Lucius Malfoy had been gutting the innocent since he was a teenager. She had to be able to offer him a challenge. Unlike Draco, he did not want the fear. At least, not at first. There was no challenge if the victim was already frightened. She needed to be a contradiction. Innocent and knowing. Less and more. So she would come back to school a little different. The robes fit perfectly, skimming a trimmer figure. The hair was still curly and wild but the frizziness was gone. Her make up was understated, barely noticeable but classy. Simple jewelry to emphasize the look and a walk that had just a hint of sex to it, nothing crass or obvious.

As August drew to a close, she found herself back in Alex’s living room.

"You're as prepared as I can make you." He sounded surprised. "I would not have thought we would get as far as we have. If you live,” he paused sounding raw and exhausted, “experience with teach you.”

There didn't really seem to be anything else to say. This man knew more about her than anyone else on the planet and it seemed likely that she knew more about him than anyone who was currently alive...there really was nothing else to say. Except one thing.

"It has been an honor." She said the words quietly, saw bitterness than acceptance wash over his face. Then she left.